The purity of vengeance : a Department Q novel
(Book)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Contributors
Aitken, Martin, translator.
Series
Department Q volume 4
Published
New York : Dutton, c2013.
Status
Aurora Hills - Adult Detective
D ADLER
1 available

Copies

LocationCall NumberStatusDue Date
Aurora Hills - Adult DetectiveD ADLERAvailable
Westover - Adult DetectiveD ADLERChecked OutJune 3, 2025

Description

" International superstar Jussi Adler-Olsen, with more than fourteen million copies of his books sold worldwide, delivers his latest in the bestselling Department Q series ? a perplexing cold case with sinister modern-day consequences. In 1987, Nete Hermansen plans revenge on those who abused her in her youth, including Curt Wad, a charismatic surgeon who was part of a movement to sterilize wayward girls in 1950s Denmark. More than twenty years later, Detective Carl ; already has plenty on his mind when he is presented with the case of a brothel owner, a woman named Rita, who went missing in the eighties: New evidence has emerged in the case that destroyed the lives of his two partners-the case that sent Carl to Department Q. But when Carl's assistants, Assad and Rose, learn that numerous other people disappeared around the same weekend as Rita, Carl takes notice. As they sift through the disappearances, they get closer and closer to Curt Wad, who is more determined than ever to see the vision of hisyouth take hold and whose brutal treatment of Nete and others like her is only one small part of his capacity for evil. "--

More Details

Format
Book
Edition
First Edition.
Physical Desc
500 pages ; 24 cm
Language
English
ISBN
9780525954019 , 0525954015

Notes

General Note
Previously published as Journal 64 with a variant title of Journal fireogtreds in Danish.
Description
"International superstar Jussi Adler-Olsen, with more than fourteen million copies of his books sold worldwide, delivers his latest in the bestselling Department Q series ? a perplexing cold case with sinister modern-day consequences. In 1987, Nete Hermansen plans revenge on those who abused her in her youth, including Curt Wad, a charismatic surgeon who was part of a movement to sterilize wayward girls in 1950s Denmark. More than twenty years later, Detective Carl ; already has plenty on his mind when he is presented with the case of a brothel owner, a woman named Rita, who went missing in the eighties: New evidence has emerged in the case that destroyed the lives of his two partners-the case that sent Carl to Department Q. But when Carl's assistants, Assad and Rose, learn that numerous other people disappeared around the same weekend as Rita, Carl takes notice. As they sift through the disappearances, they get closer and closer to Curt Wad, who is more determined than ever to see the vision of his youth take hold and whose brutal treatment of Nete and others like her is only one small part of his capacity for evil. "-- Provided by publisher.
Language
Translated from the Danish Journal 64 with a variant title of Journal fireogtreds by Martin Aitken.

Discover More

Also in this Series

  • The keeper of lost causes (Department Q Volume 1) Cover
  • The absent one (Department Q Volume 2) Cover
  • A conspiracy of faith (Department Q Volume 3) Cover
  • The purity of vengeance: a Department Q novel (Department Q Volume 4) Cover
  • The Marco Effect: a Department Q novel (Department Q Volume 5) Cover
  • The hanging girl (Department Q Volume 6) Cover
  • The scarred woman: a Department Q novel (Department Q Volume 7) Cover
  • Victim 2117 (Department Q Volume 8) Cover
  • The shadow murders (Department Q Volume 9) Cover
  • Locked in (Department Q Volume 10) Cover

Excerpt

Loading Excerpt...

Author Notes

Loading Author Notes...

Similar Series From Novelist

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for series you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Similarities abound in these Scandinavian thrillers: cold cases, conspiracies, protagonists with difficult personalities, and twisting plots. Although slow-building suspense allows deep immersion into the characters' worlds, The Millennium novels are darker and more disturbing; Department Q displays moments of humor. -- Shauna Griffin
These Scandinavian mystery series, Siri Bergman and Department Q, are intense psychological suspense stories that feature intricate plotting, complex characters, and gritty social problems. The sleuths have to face their own psychological problems in order to solve crimes. -- Merle Jacob
Featuring special units within the police force who investigate international crime (Intercrime) and cold cases (Department Q), these atmospheric Scandinavian mysteries boast large casts of complex characters, intricate plots, and a bleak view of human nature. -- Mike Nilsson
These atmospheric, suspenseful crime thrillers excel at bringing apparently unrelated plot threads together into complex webs of violence and depravity with a shocking secret at their center. Fast-paced and gritty, these stories won't let readers go until the bitter end. -- Melissa Gray
These atmospheric, intricate series feature cops working cold cases while navigating interdepartmental politics and, especially in Department Q's case, the efforts of ruthless, influential members of the political elite. It's also a bit colder in Copenhagen than in Harry Bosch's L.A. -- Shauna Griffin
Though set very different places, the Scotland-based Karen Pirie novels and the Denmark-based Department Q tales are both distinguished by intricate plotting, a fast pace, and interesting protagonists. Karen Pirie is a grittier while Department Q is more violent. -- Mike Nilsson
London DI Tom Thorne and Copenhagen police detective Carl Mørck have difficult personalities that cause friction with peers and supervisors alike; they're also surrounded by compelling characters in complicated relationships. But while Mørck investigates cold cases, Thorne is concerned with current ones. -- Shauna Griffin
These series have the genre "scandinavian crime fiction"; and the subjects "cold cases (criminal investigation)," "police," and "danish people."
These series have the appeal factors violent and gritty, and they have the genres "scandinavian crime fiction" and "psychological suspense"; and the subjects "police," "danish people," and "northern european people."

Similar Titles From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
NoveList recommends "Millennium novels (Stieg Larsson)" for fans of "Department Q". Check out the first book in the series.
NoveList recommends "Siri Bergman novels" for fans of "Department Q". Check out the first book in the series.
NoveList recommends "Karen Pirie novels" for fans of "Department Q". Check out the first book in the series.
These books have the genres "translations -- danish to english" and "scandinavian crime fiction"; and the subjects "cold cases (criminal investigation)," "danish people," and "northern european people."
NoveList recommends "Tom Thorne novels" for fans of "Department Q". Check out the first book in the series.
These compelling, intricately plotted Scandinavian crime stories feature detectives investigating elaborate elaborate conspiracies marked by long-hidden mysteries, colorful and sadistic villains, and complex political machinations. Both are fast-paced, white-knuckle reads blending sympathetic characters, evocatively detailed settings, and grisly violence. -- Derek Keyser
NoveList recommends "Harry Bosch mysteries" for fans of "Department Q". Check out the first book in the series.
NoveList recommends "Intercrime" for fans of "Department Q". Check out the first book in the series.
Though The Redbreast focuses on a more personally troubled protagonist, it is another fast-paced, tensely atmospheric crime novel set in Scandinavia. Both novels balance richly developed characters with compelling, gritty plots involving long-hidden mysteries, sinister political forces, and gruesome violence. -- Derek Keyser
These books have the genres "translations -- danish to english" and "scandinavian crime fiction"; and the subjects "kidnapping," "missing persons investigation," and "danish people."
These books have the genres "translations -- danish to english" and "scandinavian crime fiction"; and the subjects "police," "danish people," and "northern european people."
Deeply rooted mysteries in these compelling suspense novels lead the protagonists to delve into the past, unravel sinister political intrigue, and investigate grisly murders. Both stories feature richly detailed Scandinavian settings, tense atmosphere, gritty violence, and complex, well-developed characters. -- Derek Keyser

Similar Authors From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Scandinavian mystery authors Jussi Adler-Olsen and Stieg Larsson write fast paced stories with complex characters. The stories often revolve around conspiracies and detectives fighting injustice. The complex plotting, violence, and compelling characters make the stories page-turners. The books also have a strong sense of place. -- Merle Jacob
Scandinavian authors Adler-Olsen and Dahl write police procedurals that feature a troubled detective who has a strong guilt complex. The men are loners with a strong sense of justice; the complex plots are violent and filled with twists and turns. The books also have a strong sense of place. -- Merle Jacob
Danish authors Lotte Hammer and Jussi Adler-Olsen give insight into the social problems in their country through their gritty police procedurals that feature quirky characters. These slower paced stories stress psychological insight into the characters and crime. The lead detectives are loners who will bend the rules to solve crimes. -- Merle Jacob
In their psychological suspense stories, Camilla Grebe and Jussi Adler-Olsen write fast-paced, chilling stories that deal with the dark social problems in their Scandinavian societies. Their sleuths are riddled with psychological problems, but put them aside to solve crimes. The books feature taut prose, intricate plots, and complex characters. -- Merle Jacob
These authors' works have the genre "scandinavian crime fiction"; and the subjects "cold cases (criminal investigation)," "danish people," and "northern european people."
These authors' works have the appeal factors menacing, and they have the genre "scandinavian crime fiction"; and the subjects "cold cases (criminal investigation)," "danish people," and "northern european people."
These authors' works have the genres "scandinavian crime fiction" and "psychological suspense"; and the subjects "danish people," "northern european people," and "european people."
These authors' works have the appeal factors violent and gruesome, and they have the genre "scandinavian crime fiction"; and the subjects "cold cases (criminal investigation)," "police," and "danish people."
These authors' works have the appeal factors violent and gritty, and they have the genre "scandinavian crime fiction"; and the subjects "police," "danish people," and "northern european people."
These authors' works have the appeal factors violent, and they have the genre "scandinavian crime fiction"; and the subjects "danish people," "northern european people," and "european people."
These authors' works have the appeal factors violent and gritty, and they have the genres "scandinavian crime fiction" and "police procedurals"; and the subjects "police," "danish people," and "northern european people."
These authors' works have the genre "scandinavian crime fiction"; and the subjects "cold cases (criminal investigation)," "danish people," and "northern european people."

Published Reviews

Booklist Review

When your series relies on cold cases, it's not always easy to craft plots that have both historical interest and an air of urgency, but it's something Adler-Olsen is very good at even if he's getting just a little bit less successful with each successive book. The fourth Department Q novel finds cranky Copenhagen detective Carl Morck and his quirky but competent assistants, Assad and Rose, puzzling over a seemingly unconnected group of people who all went missing at the same time. We learn the perpetrator and her motive early on; the tension comes from Morck's missteps and the dangers he's blind to. And while this labyrinthine revenge plot encompasses everything from eugenics and right-wing politics to Morck's rocky love life, and includes a nifty twist at the end, the seams are starting to show. Police procedure is an afterthought, repercussions almost nonexistent, and the mystery of Assad's secret life has dragged on too long without meaningful development. Still good reading, but Adler-Olsen needs to tighten it up a little.--Graff, Keir Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Powered by Syndetics

Publisher's Weekly Review

In the fourth entry in Adler-Olsen's Department Q series, brilliant but hapless head detective Carl Morck and his assistants-the feisty, demanding Rose and the devious Assad-are faced with a multiple-murder cold case dating back to the 1950s. That's when Curt Wad, a closet fascist, performed secret involuntary abortions and sterilizations on "the unfit." Surprisingly, Adler-Olsen manages to mix humor into a novel with such a dark back-story. Chief among the amusements are the extended effects a flu virus has on the department, which the author presents in painfully funny detail, and Morck's continuous victimization at the hands of his degenerate cousin. Both are enhanced by narrator Malcolm who treats a description of a bright red, leaky nose with the same crisp approach he might use for a Shakespearean sonnet. Malcolm presents the perennially sighing Morck with a voice that fluctuates from despairing to wistful to cautiously hopeful, marked by swiftly dissipating moments of elation. There's a tinge of amusement in Rose's shrill and angry commands. And the virus-infected Assad speaks with a subdued voice that's filtered through a stuffy nose. Malcolm is just as effective in rendering the novel's more serious sections, capturing the smarmy unction and unbridled evil of Wad. A Dutton hardcover. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Powered by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

The latest entry in Adler-Olsen's series (after A Conspiracy of Faith) does not disappoint. Set in Denmark, the novel moves in time among the 1950s, 1987, and the present, drawing readers in and concluding with a tense, suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat ending. Brilliant, brooding Det. Carl Morck once more commands his assistants Assad and Rose on a case that exposes the brutal treatment of a young woman, Nete Hermansen, in the 1950s and numerous people who disappeared as a result of her quest for vengeance. A stark portrayal of the danger of mixing politics with morality, the horrific tale is mitigated by Adler-Olsen's ability to use humor in the most unexpected places. The series takes listeners into dark areas of the government, our daily lives, our work, and our innermost selves. Narrator Graeme Malcolm is excellent. VERDICT Recommend to fans of Jo Nesbo, Karin Fossum, and Camilla Lackberg. ["An uneasy mix of comedy (far too much of it bathroom humor) and suspense," read the review of the Dutton hc, LJ 11/1/13.]-Sandra C. Clariday, Tennessee Wesleyan Coll., Athens (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Powered by Syndetics

Kirkus Book Review

Another cold case for the sturdy misfits of Copenhagen's Department Q, together with two more incomplete blasts from the past for Detective Carl Mrck. Except for the prostitute who reported her missing, no one much cared when brothel keeper Rita Nielsen vanished back in 1987, and it's no wonder the case languished. Now, however, the mystery assumes new urgency with the news that she wasn't the only one to disappear. The very same day, attorney Philip Nrvig, fisherman Viggo Mogensen, womens asylum guard Gitte Charles and do-nothing Tage Hermansen also went AWOL. Furthermore--though it takes Carl, his assistant, Hafez el-Assad, and his secretary, Rose Knudsen, quite a while to work this out--they all had links to Tage's cousin Nete Hermansen, long immured in a Sprog home for fallen women, whose second chance at a respectable life was dashed when Dr. Curt Wad, a stalwart of the Purity Party, confronted her and her businessman husband publicly with some sordid details of her past. Adler-Olsen (A Conspiracy of Faith, 2012, etc.) cuts back and forth between the fatal day in 1987 when Nete decided to avenge herself on the people who had ruined her life and the present day, when Carl's investigation of both Nete and Wad is complicated by rumors that Carl helped his cousin Ronny kill Ronny's father many years ago and further hints of the horrific fatality that first sent Carl to Department Q. Fans can rest assured that neither of these lesser subplots comes anywhere near closure. Another accomplished exercise in three-decker suspense, though the climactic twist would be harder to predict if the story had ended 100 pages earlier.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Powered by Syndetics

Booklist Reviews

When your series relies on cold cases, it's not always easy to craft plots that have both historical interest and an air of urgency, but it's something Adler-Olsen is very good at—even if he's getting just a little bit less successful with each successive book. The fourth Department Q novel finds cranky Copenhagen detective Carl Mørck and his quirky but competent assistants, Assad and Rose, puzzling over a seemingly unconnected group of people who all went missing at the same time. We learn the perpetrator and her motive early on; the tension comes from Mørck's missteps and the dangers he's blind to. And while this labyrinthine revenge plot encompasses everything from eugenics and right-wing politics to Mørck's rocky love life, and includes a nifty twist at the end, the seams are starting to show. Police procedure is an afterthought, repercussions almost nonexistent, and the mystery of Assad's secret life has dragged on too long without meaningful development. Still good reading, but Adler-Olsen needs to tighten it up a little. Copyright 2013 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2013 Booklist Reviews.
Powered by Content Cafe

LJ Express Reviews

In 1987, Nete Hermansen's perfect life falls to bits after she runs into an old nemesis, Dr. Curt Wad, who was responsible for her incarceration and sterilization in the 1950s. After their encounter, she plots murderous revenge on him and on others who abused her when she was young and helpless. Decades later, Danish cold-case investigator Det. Carl Mørck and his two oddball assistants Assad and Rose investigate the case of a madam who went missing in the 1980s. They unearth other missing-persons cases around the same time, and all seem tied to Wad. Verdict While the other adventures starring Mørck balanced the light and dark well, this fourth installment (after A Conspiracy of Faith) of Adler-Olsen's "Department Q" series is an uneasy mix of comedy (far too much of it bathroom humor) and suspense. Furthermore, the horrors heaped upon Nete and the all-powerful evilness of Wad are over the top. That said, it's hard to put this one down, even when one can predict certain plot twists. Told in alternating chapters that toggle between past and present, protagonist and antagonist, this title still has a lot to offer to fans of Scandinavian procedurals, grumpy heroes, and hilariously dysfunctional workmates. [See Prepub Alert, 7/15/13.]—Liz French, Library Journal (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Powered by Content Cafe

Publishers Weekly Reviews

Adler-Olsen's fourth installment of his brilliant Department Q series is full of Danish jokes: pungent, dark, often excoriating ironies wrapped up in sarcastic Copenhagen Det. Carl Mørck's latest personal and professional entanglements. He's investigating a missing madam case from the 1980s, as well as trumped up accusations of his involvement in the debacle that killed one of his partners, incapacitated another, and exiled Mørck himself to the musty basement of the Department Q headquarters. Mørck may also be implicated in his own uncle's drowning death. Meanwhile, villainous abortionist Dr. Carl Wad, the leader of the Purity Party, wants to cleanse Denmark, which he and his neo-Nazi followers believe is rotten, by forcibly sterilizing wayward and retarded women. Adler-Olsen merges story lines from 1955, 1987, and 2010 with ingenious aplomb, effortlessly mixing hilarities with horrors as one of Wad's victims, Nete Hermansen, plans and executes a Hitchcockian revenge. This crime fiction tour de force could only have been devised by an author who can even turn stomach flu into a belly laugh. (Dec.)

[Page ]. Copyright 2013 PWxyz LLC

Copyright 2013 PWxyz LLC
Powered by Content Cafe

Reviews from GoodReads

Loading GoodReads Reviews.

Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Adler-Olsen, J., & Aitken, M. (2013). The purity of vengeance: a Department Q novel (First Edition.). Dutton.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Adler-Olsen, Jussi and Martin, Aitken. 2013. The Purity of Vengeance: A Department Q Novel. New York: Dutton.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Adler-Olsen, Jussi and Martin, Aitken. The Purity of Vengeance: A Department Q Novel New York: Dutton, 2013.

Harvard Citation (style guide)

Adler-Olsen, J. and Aitken, M. (2013). The purity of vengeance: a department Q novel. First edn. New York: Dutton.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Adler-Olsen, Jussi., and Martin Aitken. The Purity of Vengeance: A Department Q Novel First Edition., Dutton, 2013.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

Staff View

Loading Staff View.